The Commitment Resolution
by A Shamy Gal
Summary: Summary – The immediate aftermath of the Season 8 Finale. Disclaimer: I own nothing of The Big Bang Theory. This is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. Rating: T for now, but could change
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Goodbye Sheldon." Amy Farrah Fowler closed the connection and promptly burst into tears, already regretting the decision she had spent a day and a half agonising over. "Oh god, what have I done?" She touched the photograph of her boyfriend that was on the screen of her laptop with her the tips of her fingers. She knew he would be hurt and confused by what she had just said to him and she hated herself for it, but was consoled with the knowledge that Leonard and Penny would make sure he was all right.

Amy wanted nothing more than to sleep, but her thoughts were solely on her complicated, frustrating and exhausting boyfriend. How had it come to this? She wondered. She loved him and she knew he loved her, but she didn't know where their relationship was going anymore. There would be times that she thought they had a future together and then something would happen and her doubts would re-surface. That had been happening a lot lately, leaving her confused and increasingly angry.

His application to go to Mars had been the catalyst to the way she was feeling. The first she had known about it was when he had casually mentioned it in the pet shop. She had never been so hurt by him and even though it wasn't likely he would even selected, she begun to wonder if they had any kind of future together. She had lost her temper with him and stormed out, but not only had he realised why she was upset, he had gone after her and they had resolved it. Both Penny and Bernadette had said she had forgiven him far too easily and should have made him work harder for it, but she hadn't cared because her doubts had been eased.

Their sleepover had further increased her hopes for the future of their relationship. Amy had expected him to freak out at her suggestion of having a sleepover but instead he had surprised her by agreeing to it. She hadn't been surprised that he had wanted a rating though and played along with the negotiations, although in truth she didn't actually care. She was just so happy that he wanted to be with her, that it didn't matter he was setting limitations. Even so, they had still kissed and cuddled and Amy had fallen asleep feeling wonderful. The next morning however, she had woken to find him spooned behind her and his hand underneath her pyjama top holding a breast. Trust him to find second base in his sleep, she had muttered at the time. Then she had panicked, as she was sure his reaction wouldn't be good if he woke to find his hand there. She had tried to ease his hand away, but that had been enough for him to stir. Had he been awake? She had wondered. Did he know where his hand was? In hindsight, she should have asked him about it, but at the time, she had been wary about doing so.

Sheldon hadn't mentioned the sleepover once in the four weeks since and Amy had begun to wonder if he was regretting it and then she begun to wonder if he had felt pushed into it and had only agreed to it to keep her happy. She would lay awake until the early hours worrying that she was asking too much from him and that in turn became a fear he would run away from her again. It was only a matter of time before she snapped.

Amy had never expected them to make-out the way they had on the couch in his apartment and she had been reassured, but then he asked if he should if should watch The Flash. She probably wouldn't have reacted that way if she hadn't been so tired, but she was and he had persisted with asking her if he should watch The Flash. She couldn't take it anymore. This time though, he no idea why she was upset and that just made it worse as far as she was concerned.

She was in no fit state to go to work the following day, so she had called in sick and stayed in bed. She was so exhausted that she had actually fallen asleep, only to have a nightmare of him leaving on a train that had blasted off into outer space. She knew then that she couldn't go on feeling the way she did and after much thought, had reluctantly concluded she needed to take a break from him. Amy thought she would feel better after telling him, but she didn't, she felt worse.

She needed to get some sleep and then maybe she could think more clearly, but was afraid she would have another nightmare if she did. Maybe a couple of sleeping pills would do the trick, she thought, but she hesitated. She knew if Sheldon ever found out she had resorted to sleeping pills, he would flip big time. "To hell with him." She got to her feet and went into the bathroom to get the bottle. Just as she was opening the bottle though, her phone started to ring and she went back into the living room and picked it up. The caller ID showed it was Sheldon. She looked at the bottle of sleeping pills in one hand and then back at the phone in the other. "How the hell did he know?" She wondered. She was tempted to ignore it, but knew he would just keep calling until she answered. It was probably best to nip that in the bud straight away. She accepted the call and held the phone to her ear.

"Sheldon if you don't understand what taking a break means, ask Penny and Leonard."

"They're not here." Sheldon sounded panicked. "Just tell me tell one thing. You're not sick are you?"

"What?" Amy was stunned at the question. "Don't you think I would tell you if I was sick?"

"You might not, if it was serious."

Amy sighed. Of course, he would think that. "No I'm not sick." She said. "Penny and Leonard will explain it to you when they get back."

"I don't know when that will be. They've gone to Vegas to get married."

"They've what?"

"They've gone to Vegas to get married."

"That's what I thought you said." Amy said and then groaned. "Oh crap, that means you're on your own."

There was a pause and then he replied. "Yes and it's kind of scary too."

Her resolve crumbled at that. "OK, I'll come over.

* * *

Sheldon Cooper put his phone down on his desk, not entirely convinced by what his girlfriend had just told him. He knew that she had gone sick the day before and yet she hadn't informed him, as per the Relationship Agreement. Amy was just as much of stickler for the Relationship Agreement as he was, so it worried him that she hadn't called him and he could only think of one reason why she hadn't. The mere thought that she could be seriously ill had sent him into a panic and that was why he had called her. How she would react to the news of Leonard and Penny's elopement had never occurred to him, but once he realised she was worried that he was on his own, he used it to his advantage. He knew he shouldn't have done it, but he didn't care. She was coming to the apartment.

Perhaps it was a sign that she hadn't been serious about this ridiculous break to re-evaluate their relationship after all, he thought. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to re-evaluate. They were in love and happy weren't they? He had certainly thought so and that was why he had planned to propose to the neuroscientist. He looked at the ring box next to the Gollum figurine on his desk, wondering if he should just do it when she arrived and then decided not to. He opened the desk drawer, put the ring box inside and then closed and locked the drawer. He needed to fix whatever was wrong before he proposed, but the problem was he had no idea what he needed to fix.

He got to his feet and started pacing. If she wasn't sick, then what was wrong? He was the first to admit he wasn't the best at reading people's emotions, but he didn't need to be to know she was upset and he suspected it was something he had done. What though? He wondered. He knew she had been mad at him for appearing distracted during their make-out two nights ago, but he didn't think that was the problem. He had done much worse before and she had never reacted like that. Besides, she had immediately started on the slowness of their relationship. Her outburst had confused Sheldon. She had rarely mentioned the slowness of their relationship since the Prom and had thought she was as happy as he was with that aspect of their relationship. Now he wondered if he had been wrong to assume that. He knew about her fan fiction and he knew she had tried to trick him with the TARDIS, but he hadn't taken either as a sign that she was unhappy with the pace of their relationship, because as far as he was concerned it wasn't slow any more.

A thought then occurred to him. What if it was the sudden increase in pace that was bothering her? Sheldon had been surprised at how quickly they were now going and he was even more surprised that at how comfortable he felt with what they were doing, but he had never considered how Amy had felt about it. She was, after all, just as inexperienced as he was in these matters and no doubt just as nervous.

Sheldon stopped his pacing and leaned against the kitchen island as he thought about this. It would certainly explain her sudden request for a break, he reasoned, but they had agreed on a safe word if things got uncomfortable. It was really for his benefit, but he was sure she would use it if she didn't like what was happening. "It can't be that." Sheldon sighed.

He thought back to their Skype conversation. She had looked tired and if she wasn't sick that meant she wasn't sleeping. Amy was prone to night terrors. He had recently witnessed what it was like when she had one, although she didn't know that. It had happened during their sleepover when her screaming had woken him up. Sheldon hadn't known what to do at first, but somehow he had managed to calm her down and she had slept peacefully for the rest of the night, with him spooned behind her and an arm around her waist.

He had woken before her that next morning and found his hand had somehow found its way under her pyjama top to rest on her bare stomach. Instead of being alarmed though, he had been intrigued at the feel of her bare skin and then he got really daring and moved his hand upwards. He had never touched a woman's bare breast before and he knew he shouldn't have been doing it when she was asleep, but curiosity had got the better of him. He was amazed at how soft yet firm if felt, but as he was processing this, she had started to wake up. He had immediately froze, not sure what he should do and fearful of her reaction to being groped. He heard her murmur something about finding second base in his sleep and decided that pretending to be asleep was his best and safest option. Amy had moved his hand away and he used that as cue to pretend to wake up. She never said anything, so he assumed he had gotten away with it.

Sheldon had wanted to know what had triggered the night terror and what he could do to prevent them in future, so had done some research. He soon learnt that sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings could be a trigger. Sleeping in a blanket fort in his living room definitely qualified as unfamiliar surroundings. Lights or noise could also be a trigger, so the Christmas lights he had put up inside probably hadn't helped in the matter either. Added to those two factors, was the stress of it being their first sleepover and it was no wonder she had a night terror. He had mentally kicked himself for not having considered it could be a problem for them before. He was usually planned everything in meticulous detail before he did anything, but the problem was he hadn't planned the sleepover and it been a spur of the moment idea that he had been more than happy to go along with.

It was clear to him now, that she was having night terrors, but the question was why. He was certain that she was unaware that she had one during their sleepover because he had deliberately not mentioned it, so what could be causing it. He quickly ran through the list of triggers in his head. Extreme tiredness was one and as tiredness could be the result of night terrors, it was a vicious circle. Stress was another trigger of course and he knew she was upset with him, but he was now convinced that was the result of her tiredness. So what was it? He wondered and then he heard the knock on the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for all your kind reviews. Sorry I've taken so long to update.

* * *

Chapter Two

It wasn't fair. Amy fumed as she climbed the stairs to her boyfriend's apartment. Why did this have to happen now? How could Leonard and Penny do this? It was going to mean that Leonard would be moving out for good and Sheldon had never reacted well to that. Only recently, he had resisted the suggestion of extending the one night a week that Leonard lived with Penny to two nights, so he must be freaking out over this. They had even said that the living arrangements were not going to change until he was ready, so why were they doing this? How could they be so selfish? Why had they changed their minds?

Amy got to the fourth floor and stared at the door to apartment 4A. She wasn't sure she was up to dealing with a Sheldon freak out, but she had to make sure he was all right. She took a deep breath to compose herself and then knocked on the door. A moment later, she heard footsteps coming towards her and tried to summon up what little energy she had left, hoping it would be enough for whatever awaited her.

The door opened and Sheldon was standing there looking at her. "Hello."

He seemed calm, too calm and she hadn't expected that. "This doesn't change anything." Amy told him before she walked past him into the apartment, put her overnight bag and purse on the floor by the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

Sheldon closed the door and turned to look at her. "You're staying the night?"

"With Leonard and Penny out of town, someone has to make sure you don't do anything stupid, like you're prone to."

He raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't respond. Instead, he asked. "Would you like some tea?" He asked as he went over to the kitchen.

"Sure, why not?"

"What would you like?"

"It doesn't matter." Amy frowned as she watched him make the tea. He should be freaking out? She thought. Why isn't he freaking out? She thought it was strange, very strange. It was also strange that Leonard and Penny would suddenly decide to elope. They been engaged a year, hadn't made any plans for their wedding and now they were eloping? It didn't make sense, unless. "Is Penny pregnant?"

Sheldon looked up, startled at her question. "What makes you think I would know?"

"You two confide in each all the time."

He shook his head. "As far as I know, she isn't pregnant. They just decided there was no reason to wait to get married."

"I can think of one. Leonard will be moving out now." Amy said. "You do realise that's going to happen now, don't you?"

"That would be the logical conclusion to their elopement."

"You normally freak out over that. You even run away last year."

"Is that why you're here? To make sure I don't run away again." Sheldon picked up the two mugs and took them over to the couch. "Here you go." He handed one of the mugs to her and then sat down next to her.

"I don't care if you run away or not." Amy sipped at the tea, frowning at the taste.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't care."

Amy couldn't look at him, because he was right, she did care. In fact it was the one thing she feared most of all, but she wasn't going to admit it. "You can do whatever you like. I don't care."

"Are you still mad at me for my train trip last year?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Amy said. "Why have you given me sleepy tea?"

"To help you sleep of course." He replied. "You look awful, you know that?"

"Way to make a girl feel better." Amy shook her head and sipped at her tea.

"You may look awful, but you're still look beautiful."

"What are you up to?" Amy wanted to know.

"Nothing. I was just giving my girlfriend a compliment." Sheldon paused and then asked. "You are still my girlfriend aren't you?"

Amy closed her eyes and sighed. "It's not very you is it?" She said after a moment.

"Just because I don't say it, doesn't mean I don't think it."

"I know all about your thinking." Amy retorted.

"I was thinking about you the other night."

"Yeah, thinking about ways to get me to leave so you could watch The Flash on your own."

"What are you talking about?" Sheldon said. "That was the last thing I wanted. In fact, I was going to…."

"You were going to what?" Amy glared at him.

Sheldon hesitated. "It doesn't matter now." He said. "I think you could do with an early night." He put his mug down on the coffee table. "Now I can't permit you to sleep in Leonard's room without his prior consent. It's in the Roommate Agreement."

"I'm not sharing a bed with you."

"I wasn't suggesting that." Sheldon said, but he did look disappointed. "You can sleep in my room and I'll sleep in Leonard's."

"You're allowing me in your room?"

"Yes." He got to his feet. "I just need to get my pyjamas."

"OK." Amy watched him go up the corridor to the bedrooms. What was he up to?

* * *

Sheldon stood outside his bedroom door with an armful of bedding, listening to the sounds of movement coming from inside. "Go to bed." He said quietly. "Why won't you go to bed?" He had been shocked when he had seen how pale and tired she was and all he had wanted to do was to take her into his arms and hold her, but he never got the chance. Then when he realised she was planning to stay the night, he decided he was going to look after her whether she liked it or not. His initial plan was for them both to sleep in his bed, so he could keep an eye on her and hold her if she needed it. Amy had vetoed that before he even had a chance to suggest it though. The next best thing was having her sleep in his room, while he slept next door. She hadn't been in his room for months, not since the Prom, but she was more familiar with his room then Leonard's and he would be nearby if she needed him for any reason.

The squeak of a bedspring told him she had gotten into bed at last and he sighed in relief. "I really must do something about that bedspring." He remarked as he went to the other bedroom, where he put the clean bedding on the chair. As he stripped the bed, he thought about what he had learnt. She was still upset about his train trip and while that surprised him, it did explain her earlier comment about him being prone to doing something stupid. He hadn't like that, but was too worried about her to respond to it. He would though, when the time was right.

Sheldon put the used bedding in the laundry basket and then got the clean bedding from the chair. Did she think he was going to run away again? He wondered, but why would she think that? Why wouldn't she tell him what was wrong? He asked himself and why would she think he had wanted her to leave the other night? He had meticulously planned and rehearsed what he was going to say to her that evening and he didn't understand how she come to the conclusion she had. That had to be due to lack of sleep he decided and he hoped she would be in more rational frame of mind after a good night's sleep.

When Sheldon finished making up the bed, he stepped back to look at it. "The sacrifices one makes for love." He sighed and then put his ear to the wall to the next room to listen, but he couldn't hear anything. Did that mean she was asleep? He wondered and decided he would check after he had gotten ready for bed.

He quickly undressed and put his blue plaid pyjamas on and then went to the bathroom, pausing at the door to his bedroom. Again, there was no sound coming from inside. She must be asleep he decided and went on to the bathroom.

Sheldon returned 10 minutes later and this time he opened the door and peered into the darkness. He could just make out that that she was laying curled up on her left side and judging from the sound of her breathing, she was asleep. Quietly he went into the room and made his way around the bed to the side she was on and smiled when he saw she was asleep.

Amy looked so peaceful and so beautiful laying there, that for a few minutes he was just happy to watch her sleep. Then he leaned forward and gently kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep well, my vixen." He pulled the covers further up over her and then quietly left.

Back in Leonard's room, he climbed into bed and tried to settle down to sleep himself, but could relax. "Maybe I should have had some sleepy tea as well." He sighed and briefly considered making some, but he didn't want to have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, so he decided against it. Instead, he picked up his phone and started to browse the internet. "Maybe I can get some ideas on how to fix things with Amy."

* * *

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he was aware of was a loud piercing scream coming from the next room. "Amy?" He scrambled out of bed, but his feet became caught in the sheets and he tripped, banging his right knee hard on the floor. He groaned in pain and for a moment, he didn't move, but then she screamed again and he quickly freed himself. "I'm coming." He gasped as he hobbled out and back to his own room.

Amy was sitting up in bed, still screaming. "Amy?" Sheldon clambered onto the bed and tried to put his arms around her, but she started flaying her arms about, fighting whatever demons were invading her sleep. "I'm here." He tried again to put his arms around her, but she was struggling too much and one of her elbows connected with the side of his face. He winched, but ignored the pain and made another attempt. This time he managed to get his arms around her in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides. "It's OK. I'm here." He pulled her closer to him and started to rock her. "It's OK. I'm here." He said softly. "Shhh…. It's going to be OK." The screaming stopped and he felt her relax in his arms. "That's my girl." He continued to rock her until he was sure she was sleeping peacefully once again and then he gently eased back her down on the bed.

Sheldon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was no way he was leaving her now and even though she had made it clear they were not going to share a bed, he pulled the covers back and climbed in beside her. He put his arms around her as he moaned. "Shhh…. I won't let anything hurt you."

"Don't go." She murmured.

"I won't." He said softly.

"Don't leave me."

In that instant he knew what was wrong. "Never." He vowed. "Never again."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for all your kind words. Here's the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter Three

His left arm was pinned and there was something on him when he woke up and it was a second or two before Sheldon realised what or rather who it was. Somehow, Amy had ended up laying face down, half on top of him and the other half on his arm. Her head was on his shoulder, her arm around his waist and her left leg between both of his legs. It wasn't unpleasant he decided, but it was uncomfortable and after a bit of careful manoeuvring he managed to get his left arm out from under her. That's better, he thought and then froze when he heard a murmur from his girlfriend as her head moved from his shoulder to his chest before settling again. Sheldon sighed in relief, not just because he wanted to her sleep, but because he also suspected that Amy would not be happy that they had slept in the same bed. In fact, she was likely to be very angry about it, at least until he was able to explain and then he wasn't sure how she would react.

Sheldon decided he would cross that bridge when he got to it and for the moment, he was just going to enjoy having her so close. He was a little surprised at how much he was enjoying it, especially given the current status of their relationship and he thought about why that could be. It felt good, it felt comfortable, it just felt right, but why did it feel like that? He asked himself. Until he met Amy, he had avoided physical contact as much as possible and even than it was a long time before he was comfortable with it. It was only her, that he was comfortable with doing that with though. Actually, he was more than comfortable with her touching him, he liked it and he had found he had wanted it more and more lately. Even so, the way she was holding him in her sleep was different, very different. It was reassuring for some reason and he was puzzled at that. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, as his full bladder decided to make itself known. "Damn it." He muttered before he carefully started to ease her off and was relieved when she rolled onto her side away from him. He waited a moment to make sure she was still asleep before he flung the covers off him and got up to hurry to the bathroom.

After voiding his bladder and flushing the toilet, he went to the basin to wash his hands and it was then that he saw his bruised jaw in the mirror. Sheldon washed and dried his hands quickly before leaning near to the mirror to have a closer look at the purplish bruise. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before touching his jaw with a finger. It was sore, but he didn't think anything was broken. Even so, he checked inside his mouth for any sign of damage and it was only then that he was satisfied that it looked worse than it was.

What was he going to tell Amy though? Even though it had been an accident, she was going to feel bad about it. He could try to hide it with his costume make-up, he thought, but he wasn't sure if he would have the time to do that before she woke up. Besides, Amy had the uncanny knack to find out about things like this, so it was probably best to just tell her.

An ice pack might help, he thought and decided he would do that after he had showered. He unbuttoned and then took of his pyjama shirt, but as he took off his white t-shirt, it brushed against his jaw. "Ow." He rubbed it and grimaced. "I don't think I will be shaving today." He stepped back in front of the mirror and wondered if Amy would like the unshaven look.

"I'll kill him!"

"Uh-oh." Sheldon stared at himself in the mirror, steeling himself for what was about to come.

"Sheldon, where are you?"

"I'm in the bathroom, but don't come in…" He broke as he heard the door open and then saw in the mirror, his angry girlfriend storming in.

"You sneaked into bed with me?"

"It was hardly sneaking." Sheldon turned to look at her. "I wouldn't have gotten this if I was sneaking." He indicated to his face. "Your elbows should be classified as dangerous weapons." He saw her staring at his face and could tell her anger was already gone. "It was an accident, it wasn't your fault."

"How did it happen?"

"You had a night terror and you accidentally hit me when I was trying to calm you down."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Amy said after a moment.

"That's why I got into bed with you. I had to stay to make sure you were alright." Sheldon told her. "Don't worry I was the perfect gentleman." He added. She nodded in silence and then her gaze seemed to lower. What is she looking at? He wondered. Her saw her eyes widen and her eyebrows rise in surprise. "Amy Farrah Fowler, you wouldn't be ogling your boyfriend would you?"

"No…. well, maybe a little." Amy blushed. "Erm… Actually, I was just wondering, have you been working out?" She said. "I don't remember you looking like that."

"Like what?" Sheldon innocently asked, but pleased she had noticed.

Amy pointed with a finger. "There's clear muscle definition, especially with your pecs, you've got a bit of six pack going on there, your shoulders look broader and your guns are definitely bigger."

"My what?"

"Your biceps." Amy looked up at him. "When did you start working out and why?"

"Maybe I wanted to give my girlfriend something to ogle." Sheldon smiled at her.

Amy was silent for a moment and then said. "What would your mother say if she knew you were trying to tempt a poor innocent girl like me?" She smiled back at him before adding. "Perhaps I should call her and ask."

"You do and I'll call yours." Sheldon countered. "I'm sure she would have something to say about her daughter spending the night at a man's apartment."

"Yes, I'm sure she would." Amy said. "Maybe you should put some ice on that." She then indicated to his face. "It looks sore."

"I'm going to, after I've had a shower."

Amy nodded. "Right, I'll leave you to it then."

Sheldon waited until the door had closed before turning to looking at himself in the mirror. "Well, Sheldon Lee Cooper, I think your girlfriend liked what she saw."

* * *

Amy sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island, deep in thought. She couldn't imagine Sheldon going to a gym, let alone working out in one. Partaking in an activity that left you sweaty and dirty just wasn't him, but he clearly had been doing that. Where though? And when? There was a gym at Cal Tech and he did usually get there very early, so that was a possibility, but if he was working out there, someone would have seen him and she was sure she would have heard about it. Where else was there? She knew his routines and she knew where he went, but she couldn't think of anywhere else he could been working out. How had he managed to keep it a secret from everyone?

She still didn't understand why he had decided to it. Yes, Sheldon could be just as vain as any other man, but not to the extent he would want to change his physical appearance. It didn't make sense, even if she did like it and she had to admit she did like it a lot. Had he been serious when he had said he had done for her? That didn't make sense either, but if he had been serious, perhaps she should reciprocate the gesture. "Oh hell, I'll have to go on diet." She groaned.

"What on earth for?"

Amy turned looked over her shoulder and all coherent thought left her head when she saw him standing on the step with just a towel wrapped around his waist. "Erm…."

"Are you ogling me again?"

"Yes." Amy gasped and managed to look away from him. "Where's your dressing gown?"

"I left it in Leonard's room."

"Well go and put it on."

"I was going to make up an ice pack first." Sheldon went over to the refrigerator and opened the top section to get some ice. "Why on earth would you want to go on a diet?"

"Maybe I want my boyfriend to ogle me."

"I've got news for you. Your boyfriend already does."

Amy frowned. "Well, I've never noticed."

"That's because….." Sheldon hesitated. "I'm not quite sure how to say it."

"Just say it."

"You can't see what I'm looking at." Sheldon replied. "You're sitting on it." He clarified after a moment.

"My fat rear end, you mean." Amy glared at him.

"No your shapely rear end." Sheldon replied. "If you didn't wear so many layers, then maybe I could look at something else, but I can't, so I make do with your lovely rear end."

Amy stared at him, not sure what to make of that, but suspecting he meant it as a compliment. "It's very unlike you to be so flirtatious. What are you up to?"

"You think I'm being flirtatious? I thought I was just getting an ice pack for my sore jaw." He put the ice pack against his jaw. "Ahhh…. That's so much better."

"OK." Amy decided to play along with him and stood up. "You want something else to look at." She took her dressing gown off and put it on the kitchen island.

"What are you doing?" He gulped as she slowly unbuttoned her pyjama shirt.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Amy said, wondering how far she would have to go before he chickened out.

"Erm... I'll go and get my dressing gown." He said before hurrying back to the bedrooms.

"That's more like my Sheldon." Amy grinned. "Always running away." No, that's not fair, she then told herself, not after what he had done the night before. She had always assumed he would run if he ever experienced one of her night terrors, but he hadn't and he even stayed with her. No one had ever done that before, not even her own mother. He had though and by doing so, he had shown she could rely on him and that he would be there when she needed him. It had been something she hadn't been sure of since his train trip. How could she be sure, when he had just ran off like that without even saying goodbye to her? For a while though, she had put it to the back of her mind and even convinced herself that it was just a one off. Then of course he had applied for the Mars trip and her doubts and fears had resurfaced. She was convinced that sooner or later, he was going to leave her and as much as she loved him, she wasn't sure she could continue their relationship with that knowledge.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of him coming back. "How's this?" He asked as he approached her now wearing his blue plaid dressing gown. "Better?"

Amy stared at him in silence and then wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Thank you for staying with me last night." She wanted to tell him everything, but she also wanted him to stay with her for the right reasons, not because of her fears.

"You're welcome." Sheldon returned her hug. "Are you crying?"


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoying it. Here's Chapter Four. Rating change due to use of language.

* * *

Chapter Four

Sheldon had been very unhappy when she had escaped to the bathroom and had sternly told her from the other side of the locked door that they were going to talk, whether she liked it or not. That was the last thing Amy wanted, but she knew he was right. They did need to have an honest talk. She was worried though, that being honest would guilt him into something he didn't really want to do.

As she showered, she tried to work out which was the best option. One moment telling herself that honesty was always the best option, the next worrying about the results of being honest. By the time she got out of the shower she was no nearer to deciding what she should do. What would friends say? She asked herself as she grabbed one of the towels to dry her hair, but she knew both Penny and Bernadette would tell her to be brutally honest with Sheldon and to hell with his feelings. His feelings did matter to her though, so she just couldn't do that.

Amy wrapped the towel around her head and used a second towel to dry herself before putting her dressing gown on and tying the belt around her waist. She put her glasses on, went over to the basin and got the toothbrush that Sheldon kept for her. She stared at it in her hand. "I should tell him." She said. "I can't though." She looked at herself in the mirror. "Damn it, what I am going to do."

She was apprehensive when she came out of the bathroom, which only increased when she saw that Sheldon had gotten out his largest whiteboard. He was standing in front of it, still dressed in his dressing gown, writing on the board. Please let it be a new theory, she thought and then considered going to the bedroom instead, but he saw her and he quickly moved the whiteboard so she couldn't see what was on it. "What are you doing?"

"You'll find out soon enough, little lady." Sheldon replied. "Now, the first thing on our agenda today is breakfast. I've made French toast for you."

"You have?" Amy went over to the kitchen island and saw that as well as plate of French toast, there was glass of orange juice waiting for her. "Thank you." She sat down on one of the stools and picked up a slice of French toast. "This is good." She said after she took a bite.

"Of course it is." Sheldon took the stool next to her. "Are you feeling better now?" He asked. Amy shook her head in silence. "I seem to recall someone saying that couples should work out their problems together. Now who was that? Oh yes, it was you, wasn't it?"

With a sign, Amy shook her head. "I'm not surprised you remember, but I'm surprised you were listening at the time."

"Which time? You've said it so many times, that I don't need to have an eidetic memory to remember that." Sheldon replied. "You've also said that we should be honest with each other on numerous occasions."

Amy groaned at that. "Yes, I know." She paused and then asked. "What if the result of being honest is something just as bad?"

"In what way?"

"What if it were to guilt you into something?"

"You would never do that to me."

"And that's why I can't tell you."

"That is a paradox." Sheldon leaned nearer to her. "Would it help if I told you I already knew?"

"There's no way you can possible know."

"You were talking in your sleep last night." Sheldon told her.

"Oh fuck." Amy groaned and put her head to her hand. What she had she said?

Sheldon made a face. "I can't believe I kiss a mouth that such foul language comes out of." He quickly wiped his mouth with his hand.

"I saw that." Amy looked up at him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What did I say last night in my sleep?"

"You kept saying don't leave." He replied. "It's pretty obvious you're still upset about my train trip last year. Rest assured that next time I run away, I'm taking you with me."

"Did you decide that before or after you applied for the Mars trip?"

"Ohhh….." Sheldon nodded. "No wonder, you're worried that I'm going to leave again."

Amy thought for a moment and then decided that as he knew that much, she meant as well try to explain why. "What if the positions were reversed and I was the flight risk? What would you do knowing that I could leave without saying good-bye at any moment?"

"That would be another paradox. On one hand, I'd be questioning whether it was worth the risk of getting hurt like that again, but on the other hand I love you too much to end it."

"Yeah." Amy nodded.

"But why would you think telling me that would guilt me into something?" Sheldon frowned. "I want to stay with you. I want us to be together." Sheldon kissed her on the cheek. "You have no idea how much I want us to be together."

"I want to believe you."

"Given my track record, I can't say I'm surprised at that." Sheldon told her. "Now, I think it would serve us much better if we did a re-evaluation of our relationship. Together." He stood up, went over to the whiteboard and turned it around. "Hence this."

"Oh crap." Amy muttered before turning around to look. Her eyes widened when she saw that across the top he had written 'The Re-Evaluation of the Shamy Relationship'. "You know how much I dislike that amalgamation of our names."

"It's kinda of grown on me." He smiled at her. "Now for this, we give yes or no answers and discuss those answers as we go along. Ready?"

"No." Amy went down the list of the questions, looked at her smiling boyfriend and then back at the whiteboard. She re-read the questions.

 _**1\. Do I believe you love me?**_

 ** _2\. Do I love you?_**

 ** _3\. Do I wish you would confide in me more?_**

 ** _4\. Do I think I confide in you enough?_**

 ** _5\. Do I feel respected by you?_**

 ** _6\. Do I respect you?_**

 ** _7\. Do I believe you desire me?_**

 ** _8\. Do I desire you?_**

 ** _9\. Do I believe you trust me?_**

 ** _10\. Do I trust you?_**

 ** _11\. Am I mad at you about something?_**

 ** _12\. Have I ever been jealous?_**

 ** _13\. Have I dreamt about you recently?_**

 ** _14\. Do I know you're keeping a secret from me?_**

 ** _15\. Am I keeping a secret from you?_**

 ** _16\. Is there something I'm too embarrassed to admit to you about?_**

 ** _17\. Do I know that you have lied to me recently?_**

 ** _18\. Have I lied to you recently?_**

 ** _19\. Do I know what you fear?_**

 ** _20\. Is there something I fear?_**

"What is the point of the first two?" Amy asked. "We know we love each other."

"Reassurance." Sheldon wrote Ys in both their columns for those questions and then smiled at her. "My answer to question three is another yes."

"As you seem to prefer confiding in Penny to me, then my answer would also be yes."

"I only confide in her when I'm having an issue with our relationship. After all, she has more experience with relationships then either of us." Sheldon replied. "And I know you do the same thing."

She couldn't refute that, but that wasn't really the problem for her anyway. "It just that sometimes you seem more comfortable with her then you do with me." Amy said. "Leonard said it was because you've known each other longer."

"You've talked to Leonard about it?" Sheldon frowned.

Amy nodded. "|Just once, briefly." She said. "Are you sure about her expertise?" Amy used her fingers to emphasize the word. "Yes she's been in a lot relationships, but none of them have been successful until Leonard."

"That's a good point."

"She also doesn't really understand the way either of us think or do things." Amy then said. "For example, she has never even tried to understand the Relationship Agreement."

"Yet another good point."

"And what do you think she would say to that?" Amy pointed to the board. "She'd say the same thing she did about the relationship inventory test we took."

"A third good point." Sheldon looked at the board. "So our answers for three and four, for now, should be yes and no?" He said. "And we both agree that from now, we should try to confide in each other first before running of to find Penny?"

"Yes."

"OK." Sheldon wrote their answers on the board. "Question five."

Amy groaned, not sure about her answer for this question. "I want to say yes, but I can't."

"Why?"

"Most of the time I do feel respected by you, but you do put my chosen field down." Amy told him. "How it's yucky. How it's only biology and doesn't really count…"

"You've put Bernadette's chosen field down as well." Sheldon interrupted.

"That's different."

"How?"

"It just is."

"Hypocrite." Sheldon added her answer and then thought for a moment before adding a Y to his column. "I will try to be less disrespect to you chosen field in future, although I can't guarantee I will be successful doing so."

Amy smiled. She knew he would try and she knew he would slip up, but it didn't bother her as long as he tried. "My answer to the next one is yes."

"Well, mine was going to be yes as well."

"You can still put yes. You just need to show it more." Amy said. "OK, next one."

"That's going to be another no for you isn't it?" Sheldon put her answer in before she could say anything. "That's something you need to work on." He added a Y in his own column.

"What do you mean?" Amy was puzzled.

"You need to start noticing when I'm ogling you."

"That's a bit hard to do when according to you, it's my fat rear end you ogling."

"For the last time you don't have a fat rear end." Sheldon told her. "You have a gorgeous, shapely and perfect rear end, plus beckoning hips and curves in all the right places.

Amy smiled at that. "Really?" She asked and he nodded. "Thank you."

"Just out of interest, what do you like about me?"

"Well, I liked what I saw earlier."

Sheldon smiled and added another a Y to his column for that question and then in both of theirs for the next question. "As you think I'm going to run away at any given time, I know you don't trust me." Sheldon said. "And I know it's going to take me than words to fix that, but I'm at a loss as to what to do."

"Actually you started to fix it last night by staying with me." Amy admitted. "No one's ever done that before."

"What? Not even your mother?"

Amy turned away from him. "No." She said after a moment. "Not even my mother. She just ignores it or pretends it doesn't happen."

Sheldon went over to her and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry." He kissed her softly on the side of her neck. "I have to say that I find that very strange." He said after a moment. "Your mother is overprotective with you, so why would she be like that?"

"I don't know. She just is." Amy shrugged. "It's fine though. Emm… do you want to go onto the next question?"

"We will be coming back to this. We need to do something about your night terrors." Sheldon said. "When we start sharing a bed on a regular basis, I don't want to get hit or bitten." He released her and went back to the board. "OK, question ten. Do I trust you?"

"Hang on, hang on." Amy turned on the stool again to face him. "Sharing a bed on a regular basis?"

"It's inevitable."

Did he mean just sharing a bed or did he mean something else? Amy stared at him, but she couldn't tell from his expression. "Exactly what is inevitable?"

"Thatwewillhavesex." Sheldon said quickly before turning to stare at the board.

He did mean something else, but she wasn't finished with the topic just yet. "You said on a regular basis?" Amy stated. "I know you love repetition and the number three, so we're going to have sex at least three times, but does that make it a regular basis?" She asked. Sheldon slowly turned to face her and Amy struggled to keep a straight face. "And will it be three times a night?"

"Three times a night?" Sheldon spluttered.

"Oh another thing, what about your need for closure?" Amy asked. "Sex takes a lot out of the human male, so if it is going to be three times a night on a regular basis are you going to be able to keep going…" She started to laugh at his open-mouth, wide-eyed look. "Sorry."

"Ha ha, very funny." Sheldon breathed in deeply. "For the record, it's only knocking that I do three times, so it will not be three times a night." He turned back to the board. "And you damn well will be satisfied even if I have to keep going all night." He glanced at her. "I just hope you have the stamina for it."

"Hoo." Amy grinned.


End file.
